Concrete Steps to Transform

Teacher Collaboration for

Increased Student Learning

April 21, 2014

Deanna Rolffs, Mary Kay Murphy

IntroductionsWho is in the room?

Why this session?

Please share who you are and how this video connects with why you

chose this session?

Why We Exist

The achievement gap persists. Results from a wide

variety of state and national tests administered over

the last half-century have been fairly consistent in at

least one respect. They indicated that certain groups

of children repeatedly score below children in other

groups (EdSource).

How Partners Works

Partners in School Innovation engages with teachers

and leaders in under-performing school districts to

drive results by strengthening teaching and learning

through our sustainable, adaptable approach to

continuous improvement.

Session Objectives

• Understand the WHY, HOW and WHAT

behind teacher collaboration

• Be prepared for common challenges that

arise when working to establish collaborative

teams

• Understand the role that school leaders and

teachers each play in creating successful

collaborative teams

Vision for

Teacher

Collaboration

Why collaborate?

“Research on effective professional

development also highlights the importance of

collaborative and collegial learning

environments that help develop communities

of practice able to promote school change

beyond individual classrooms”

-Darling-Hammond & Richardson, 2009

Teacher Professional Learning

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Theory Demonstration Practice and

Feedback

Peer Coaching or

Collegial Support

Knowledge

Skill

Transfer to

Classroom

Joyce and Showers, 2002

How can teachers collaborate?

Plan

Act

Assess

Reflect & Adjust

Set Goals

Results-

Oriented

Cycles of

Inquiry

Results-Oriented Cycles of Inquiry

Plan

Act

Assess

Reflect & Adjust

Set Goals

Working together as a

team to define clear

outcomes for

student mastery.

Collaboratively

designing

assessments and

planning units and

lessons.

Teaching with

similar pacing;

sharing lessons

learned along the

way.

Collecting evidence of

student learning using

common assessments.

Comparing

student progress

toward goals and

thinking together

about how to

adjust instruction

to better meet

student needs.

My Experience of Collaboration is Like…

• Basketball

• Golf

• Cross Country

• Quilting

• Car Pooling

What gets in

the way of

quality

collaboration?

Common challenges

• Insufficient access to timely data on which to base instructional

decisions;

• Poor infrastructure (especially lack of scheduled time for teachers

to meet, or inefficient use of the limited time available);

• Lack of teacher buy-in for the process (perception that the

decision to implement a PLC was imposed upon teachers by

administrators);

• Lack of teacher ownership of the process (perception that

administrators dictate what teachers do during their collaborative

time); and

• A building culture in which teachers tend to compete rather than

collaborate.

Education World, 2013

Some solutions

• Ensure adequate time and resources

• Work with teacher leaders to clarify

expectations

• Provide professional development for

facilitators

• Engage in ROCI to improve the quality of

your collaboration

Time and resources

• Sufficient time

– Build time into the school schedule

– Repurpose staff meeting time

– Set aside money for subs and release teachers

– Create district-wide PLCs

• Collaborative planning tools

– Pacing guides, curriculum materials

– Online planning tools

Clarify Expectations

Leaders and teachers should work together to:

• Clarify the purpose and vision for collaboration

• Develop meeting agendas

• Identify ways to monitor the quality of

collaboration

– Meeting notes

– Data from common assessments

– Grade level representatives reflections

– Principal observations

Clarify Expectations…

Clarify

Expectations…

Facilitators Need…

• To be involved in creating the agenda

• Training on team development and

facilitation skills

• Space to reflect with other facilitators on

how well meetings went and to problem-

solve challenges

ROCI Your Collaboration

Plan

Act

Assess

Reflect & Adjust

Set Goals

Define your vision and

goals for collaboration.Plan meetings well in

advance.

Support teams

with well-

prepared

facilitators.

Monitor the quality of

collaboration.

Comparing

student progress

toward goals and

thinking together

about how to

adjust instruction

to better meet

student needs.

Reflect and Adjust

• Review artifacts (meeting notes, data, lesson

plans) and talk with facilitators about how

the meetings went

• Ask yourself:

–Were the meeting outcomes achieved?

– Do I see impact in the classroom?

– How can the next meeting be even better?

Case examples… Ensuring Adequate Time and Resources:

“We are adjusting our PLC plan for next year to

allow for collaboration one hour a week per

grade, using substitutes for release time.”

Engaging in ROCI:

“We have created systems and processes that

support the ILT, PLCs and PD in order to

implement the School Improvement Plan. For

example, ILT members always come prepared

with materials/work now because they know the

time will be used wisely and very focused.”

Preparing ILT Members as Facilitators:

“Our Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) members

decide direction, focus and specific paths to get

there. They then lead PLCs, support and guide

teachers, and share needs and strengths with the

ILT.”

Looking Ahead

• What is your goal between now and the end

of the year?

• What needs to take place to set your

building up for success in the fall?

Looking Ahead

Reflect on the

strengths and

needs of your

teams…

School Transformation RubricTime for

CollaborationRegular time for teacher collaboration is protected within the school schedule.

Collaboration

Agreements

School-wide agreements exist that clarify expectations for how teams use collaborative

time.

Team CharterTeachers work together to define the purpose and work they will do in collaboration and

establish working agreements.

Student Achievement

GoalsTeachers collectively define SMART and equitable goals for student achievement.

Backward PlanningTeachers collectively develop units that specify the standards and skills they will teach in

each unit in order to reach student achievement goals.

ROCI

Teacher collaboration is guided by Results-Oriented Cycles of Inquiry (i.e., setting and

monitoring progress toward goals, planning instruction, reviewing data, reflecting on

classroom practice, and adjusting instructional plans).

Examination of Race,

Culture, Class &

Power

Teachers seek to understand the role of race, culture, class and power in their work (e.g.

reflecting on race based patterns of achievement, taking student's cultural background

into account while planning instruction, reflecting on their beliefs and expectations for

students).

Collective

Responsibility

Teachers take collective responsibility for reaching student achievement goals by sharing

best practices, pooling resources, supporting each other's professional growth and

holding each other accountable to agreements.

Peer Coaching Teachers support one another to continuously refine their practice (e.g. sharing best

practices, engaging in lesson study, observing one another in the classroom).

Individual Reflection

1. Use the rubric to reflect on how well the

teams you work are collaborating

2. What challenges are they experiencing?

3. What actions might you take to help them

work though those challenges and deepen

their collaboration?

What are you taking away?

An idea that

resonated for you

An idea that

resonated for you

A next step you plan

to take

A next step you plan

to take

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us!

Contact

PartnersInSchools.orgRenewing the Promise of Public Education

Deanna Rolffsdrolffs@partnersinschools.org

Mary Kay Murphymmurphy@partnersinschools.org